Recent advances in plant gene therapy

Abstract

Gene therapy in plants has evolved as a revolutionary step in contemporary agriculture that allows sophisticated, economical, and targeted genetic modifications to address pressing global challenges like food insecurity, environmental stress, and climate change. The transition from classical mutagenesis to sophisticated gene editing platforms has tremendously increased the ability to manipulate the plant genome to drive desirable traits. The present review follows the chronological development of the technique of gene therapy, identifying milestones in human and plant systems and emphasizing recent developments like CRISPR-Cas systems, base editing, and prime editing. The present work further classifies and compares modes of gene delivery like physical (biolistics, electroporation), chemical (PEG-mediated), biological (Agrobacterium tumefaciens), and nanotechnology-based (gold, starch, and silica nanoparticles) modes. Applications range from yield improvement to tolerance to environmental stress, disease resistance, biofortification, and sustainable agriculture. While contemporary gene editing tools possess excellent specificity and versatility, limitations exist in the efficiency of delivery, regulatory policies, and public perception. The future directions highlight the compatibility of genetically edited crops with climate-smart agriculture, the engineering of species-unrestricted delivery systems, and the democratization of genome engineering tools. However, plant gene therapy is a pivotal tool in changing the face of agricultural practices towards resilience, sustainability, and food security.